


saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch

by lancegwenarthur



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Vulcan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:34:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23942413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lancegwenarthur/pseuds/lancegwenarthur
Summary: Jim gets hurt and they can't go back to the Enterprise so they stay with Spock's parents. Yes this is contrived and underdeveloped but it's also cute as heck
Relationships: James T. Kirk/Spock
Comments: 5
Kudos: 119





	saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kennyfromthewarathome](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kennyfromthewarathome/gifts).



> i am not a trekkie so feel free to come after me for anything ooc (the silliness is all intentional)  
> yes i did do a deep research dive for a oneshot

It wasn't unusual to get hurt on a mission, but it was unusual to not be rushed to the ship’s medbay immediately afterwards. Everything was oddly quiet when he and Spock were beamed aboard a shuttle. There’d been an incident in the science department of the _Enterprise_ , and it was headed in the opposite direction to be evacuated.

Jim and Spock were headed to the nearest planet with adequate medical facilities to treat his injuries, which just happened to also be the planet that Spock’s parents were on: Vulcan.

While obeying proper procedure as well as the Prime Directive, Jim had touched a plant that secreted venom that caused deep, painful blistering. It definitely wasn’t the worst he’d been hurt, so it felt wrong that it would be so complicated to fix.

When they beamed down to the planet (which looked like its usual self, lots of orange, lots of statues), they were led into a medical center where Jim got all kinds of injections and salves and even pills in order to draw the venom out and heal his skin. He was told that he could do small tasks with his hands, but he was not supposed to carry anything or otherwise put pressure on them.

They were sent on their way, which, with no ship, meant to Spock’s parents’ house. With Spock’s parents. The ones whose son Jim had recently...started something with. It was full-on dating yet, and that was the problem! If it was a labeled relationship, that would be it. United front, announce it, deal with it if it was an issue. Instead, it was in the delicate new stages where Jim wasn’t even sure if it was going anywhere yet. They’d been getting closer, there’d been some kissing, but they weren’t on solid ground. This little sojourn would definitely decide it in one way or another, and not in a gentle way. They’d probably either be planning a wedding or trying to figure out how to never see each other again by the time Jim’s hands were healed.

Jim looked around in appreciation at the walled garden in front of the house. Like a mini version of the city, Spock’s family home was also surrounded by green. The inside looked like it was from the Jetsons, though. There were a lot of useless architectural features like diagonal screens of shaped metal. Not having been in a Vulcan’s home before, he wondered if this was how everyone on the planet decorated, or if it had something to do with Spock’s father being an ambassador or his mother being a human.

The aforementioned ambassador and human were waiting for them in the main room.

“The captain was injured during a mission in a nearby system. While we were on planet, an experiment in the science department yielded unexpected results that compromised the integrity of the ship. The captain and I could not reboard the _Enterprise_ as it is now under emergency protocols, so I have accompanied him to Vulcan while he seeks medical care.” Jim held up his heavily bandaged hands as Spock explained.

“How long will you be staying with us?” Amanda asked. There was no discussion about it; the whole family could see that it was logical, so it would happen. It was actually wonderful to have no drama, either effusive welcoming or a big fight. Jim couldn’t imagine having to hang out with Bones or Scotty’s families.

"They haven't contained the effects of the experiment, and the ship might need repairs or the crew medical attention, but it should be less than a week," Jim said.

"You are welcome here." Sarek gestured down the hallway. Spock, please show Captain Kirk the guest bedroom."

After they were settled, they had dinner with Spock's parents. The decor and food were strange, but the mood was pleasant. Jim really did feel welcome, and Spock's little family was obviously happy to be together again. They spoke of news on Vulcan and other planets and of adventures on the _Enterprise_.

After a few hours, the bulky bandages were allowed to come off in favor of more manageable medicine-infused gloves. Jim was used to recuperating in the aggressively climate controlled _Enterprise_. It felt wrong to be cared for in blistering heat, especially because it made his wounds being touched even more uncomfortable. The gravity and atmosphere weren’t ideal for human health, either, but taking the time to travel to a different planet would have been worse, as the venom would have spread to Jim’s nervous system.

However, there was also something life-giving about the heat of Vulcan. He felt fine except for the pain in his hands, which were in Spock's lap so that he could change Jim's hands from clubs to human appendages again.

“How does it feel to be Bones for a day?” Jim teased.

“Terrible. Almost unbearable,” Spock replied as he unwound the gauze.

“Sorry to ruin what would’ve been a peaceful stranding.”

Spock looked askance at him, which was his most common way of looking at Jim. He finished re-wrapping Jim's hands in the new gloves and let go.

“Wish I could hold your hand right now.”

"We were holding hands, in a sense, for the last ten minutes."

"Yeah, but still."

Spock moved to sit beside Jim and put his arm around him, pulling him close. A pretty good consolation prize.

Jim was going to just wear whatever Spock left out for him the next day, but his first officer wanted to give him his pick. Jim rifled through Spock’s closet. Vulcans did own simple clothing, but they seemed to take any opportunity to dress up. Jim thought it would be annoying to come to breakfast in something too ceremonial, so he went with an outfit that was about a four on the Vulcan Schmancy Scale. 

They passed through a room with a fountain in the middle of the highly polished tile floor, a floor which Jim promptly slipped on. He threw out his hands to catch himself, which would have definitely messed up his recovery, but Spock caught him before he could hit the ground. 

“Guess the extra gravity is getting to me,” It was either a bad joke or a bad line, but Spock didn’t comment on it, and Jim indulged in just staring into Spock’s eyes for a bit before stepping out of his embrace and heading into the dining room.

Amanda had made waffles, the opportunity to mother her son and his friend, even though they were adults, winning out over the ease of using a replicator. 

As she set the plates down on the table, she looked at Jim’s hands. “Oh, I should have served those to you cut up.”

“I don’t mind.” Spock pulled Jim’s plate closer to himself and cut the waffle into small pieces and pushed the plate back to him. 

Jim thanked him. It felt so weird to have someone do so much for him, but Spock's patience made him feel more comfortable with it.

The waffles were excellent, and sitting there with Spock, eating them and chatting, was earning this a spot in Jim's top ten shore leaves.

Later, Jim looked nervously out the window at the furry beast outside. I-Chaya II. He'd heard about the death of the first I-Chaya, the death that had been Spock's, but he wasn't prepared to meet his replacement. Jim was glad to have an excuse not to pet him (even though he could have even with his hands) because he was just as terrifying as he was cute.

“You are not obligated to answer this question, but are you two romantically involved?”

Jim wasn’t prepared to talk about this yet. None of the crew members even knew. However, he found himself wanting to confirm it now that he had been asked.

He nodded and opened his mouth but Spock was already saying, “Yes.”

Sarek nodded as well. "I wish you happiness."

Once again, the lack of drama in the Grayson household amazed Jim. He was sure Sarek and Amanda _could_ make drama if they wanted to; they’d created Spock, after all, but their domestic tranquility was soothing.

By the time the Enterprise had been cleared of noxious fumes that could melt plastic and cause nerve damage, Jim had a standing invitation to stay at Amanda and Sarek's home, had resisted defiling Spock's childhood bedroom and was pretty sure he had a boyfriend.


End file.
